| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to required instruction in the public |
| 3 | schools; providing a short title;; amending s. |
| 4 | 1003.42, F.S.; revising the curriculum of the |
| 5 | character-development program required in kindergarten |
| 6 | through grade 12; providing an effective date. |
| 7 |
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| 8 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 9 |
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| 10 | Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Character |
| 11 | Education Act." |
| 12 | Section 2. Paragraph (s) of subsection (2) of section |
| 13 | 1003.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 14 | 1003.42 Required instruction.- |
| 15 | (2) Members of the instructional staff of the public |
| 16 | schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education |
| 17 | and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and |
| 18 | faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the |
| 19 | highest standards for professionalism and historic accuracy, |
| 20 | following the prescribed courses of study, and employing |
| 21 | approved methods of instruction, the following: |
| 22 | (s) A character-development program in kindergarten |
| 23 | through grade 12 the elementary schools, similar to Character |
| 24 | First, or Character Counts, or The Leader in Me, which is |
| 25 | secular in nature. The character-development curriculum shall |
| 26 | stress the virtues of wisdom, pursuit of excellence, equality, |
| 27 | responsibility, honesty, courage, patriotism, self-discipline, |
| 28 | perseverance, duty, honor, charity, civility, tolerance, and |
| 29 | other qualities of character that better prepare students to |
| 30 | recognize and accept the responsibility for preserving the |
| 31 | blessings of liberty inherited from prior generations. Beginning |
| 32 | in school year 2004-2005, the character-development program |
| 33 | shall be required in kindergarten through grade 12. Each |
| 34 | district school board shall develop or adopt a curriculum for |
| 35 | the character-development program that shall be submitted to the |
| 36 | department for approval. Members of the administrative and |
| 37 | instructional staff must be informed of the requirements of this |
| 38 | paragraph at the beginning of each school year. The character- |
| 39 | development curriculum shall stress the qualities of patriotism; |
| 40 | responsibility; citizenship; kindness; respect for authority, |
| 41 | life, liberty, and personal property; honesty; charity; self- |
| 42 | control; racial, ethnic, and religious tolerance; and |
| 43 | cooperation. |
| 44 |
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| 45 | The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards |
| 46 | and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection. |
| 47 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012. |